Reclaim the City Demo. Sat 11 April: Assemble 11.30 at Bethnal Green Police Station
In memory of Ian Tomlinson. Please wear black and bring flowers to lay where he died.
The Guardian has published a video of the police pushing Ian Tomlinson who later died last Wednesday during the G20 protest. He was not a protester--he was trying to get home from work through the streets full of riot police and police dogs.
Stop the War predicted to senior police officers, after our Gaza demonstrations in January 2009 were attacked by the police, that it was only a matter of time before the aggressive and inflammatory policing tactics on demonstrations brought tragic consequences.
Our prediction has now happened with the death of Ian Tomlinson in the City of London on 1 April.
He was not a G20 protestor, but was just making his way home after work.
The attack on Mr Tomlinson and other acts of brutality by the police at the G20 protests, show that life and limb are potentially in danger from policing tactics for anyone carrying out their lawful and democratic right to protest
Police Pushing Ian Tomlinson Before he Died
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Update 9th March 2009. ITN publishes another video of the same incident from a different angle that clearly shows Tomlinson being hit with a police baton from behind.
New G20 footage shows Ian Tomlinson being hit by a policeman
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Police Brutality: Ian Tomlinson WAS attacked by the Police BEFORE his death
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
See also articles below about this affair in today's Guardian. They show photos taken by eye witnesses.
Comments can be made at the Guardian website--see first link below. Stop the War activists are encouraged to add their thoughts about this affair. Comments can also be made on the YouTube page displaying the video (double click on the video screen above). We need to bring maximum pressure for a criminal investigation. It is time to end the culture of impunity that evidently exists within the Metropolitan police.
Update. 9th April. In today's Guardian there is an article that reveals police anger with the newspaper's exposé of the police assault on Tomlinson yesterday. It also reveals that the IPCC and the City police tried to bully the paper into removing the New York fund manager's video from its website. The newspaper refused. The IPCC also sent out "guidance" to the paper:
"The IPCC guided that the family had been deeply distressed by the newspaper's approach. On the same day the IPCC told journalists from rival publications there was "nothing in the story" that Mr Tomlinson had been assaulted by an officer. On Tuesday night when the video of the assault was released, an IPCC investigator and a City of London officer visited the Guardian's offices in King's Cross to be handed a dossier of evidence. They asked that the video was removed from the website, claiming it was "jeopardising" their inquiry and not helpful to the family. By now Tomlinson's family had found their own voice. They told the Guardian: "Now we do know police did have contact with him. Thanks for everything you have done so far."
G20 'Press Conference' for Ian Tomlinson--March to Royal Exchange
Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!
Write to your MP--Draft Letter
The anti-war movement needs to kick up as big a stink about this issue as possible. Please fax the draft letter below to your MP and add a few of your own thoughts too--but please keep it polite. You can fax your MP for free online at: http://www.writetothem.com/
Dear (MP's name),
I am sure by now you will have seen the shocking video of a police officer attacking an innocent bystander – Ian Tomlinson – who happened to be walking past one of the many G20 demonstrations.
He suffered a baton attack from behind by a police officer and after striking his head on the floor he later died.
The police are unapologetic about his death, describing their actions as 'maintaining order' on Radio 4 today.
After seeing the video this seems hard to swallow. It makes it reasonably clear that he was not presenting a threat to anyone, nor was he causing trouble. If this were a member of the public holding a baton, striking a man to the floor, who later died as a direct result, that person would promptly be put in jail. However, because the perpetrator is a police officer this apparently does not hold true.
The police officers involved and the way the matter has been handled so far have shown a disregard for the law and for common decency, which erodes the public's confidence in the police as a whole.
Please – I urge you to raise this matter in the House of Commons and put pressure on the police to ensure that justice prevails.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
